Epilog mini will not center engrave. HELP PLEASE.... :(

[Ricard Rinaldo]

Hi everyone
I just bought a used Epilog mini 35w but no matter how I try I cannot get it to center engrave.
The settings are there but no matter what they are I will still engrave as if the pointer was at top left corner.
I use win7 on my computer and Illustrator since I already own the suite.

There are some glitches though that I think might have a role in this.

*The drivers are a little spooky on win7 it seems, it is not always that win recognizes the laser on first try.
*The icon I have on my laser is not a mini but a helix if I look in connected printers folder.

I couldn´t find any other drivers than the one on epilogs webpage and the only one in there I can use is the
EpilogWinX64.dll. If I try to install the original from the cd is protests since my system is 64bit. :(

Someone who can help me out?

[Bill George]

I own a older USL (2007) and know little about your machine. How old is it and is the software and drivers intended for a XP system? ULS updates the drivers for the older machines, not sure if Epilog does? It might take a call to Support Monday.

[Kev Williams]

Not exactly sure what you mean by "center engrave", but I'll assume you're trying to engrave on something centered on the work table, and you're using Corel? If Corel then whatever you center up on the part you're engraving should center up to the part-- THEN, you're putting the part in the center of the table and telling the driver this, but it's still engraving in the top left corner of the table and not the center...

Is this the problem? if YES:

Concerning the defined working area in Corel-- Are you defining the part you're engraving - 1" x 3" for example- as the work area, OR are you defining the machine's table size - 24" x 12" for example- as the working area?

If you're NOT using the machine's table size as the work area, then DO SO- THEN, define the part you're engraving by drawing a simple box the size of the part, then center you're engraving within that box. Now, place your box in the center of the table, or anywhere else you want. When you send the engraving to the machine, THAT'S where it'll engrave...

Just be sure to NOT send the box outline to the machine! One solution to avoid this is to outline the box a different color (red is typical) and be sure red won't engrave in case the box accidentally does get sent.

Also, if you're new to Corel there's a particularly annoying issue that may occur if you use the 'box' method, it's called "treat all objects as filled"-- If this setting is checked, then clicking the mouse anywhere inside the box will 'group' the box. To check this, you need to click on the TOOLS menu, open the WORKSPACE sub-menu, then open the TOOLBOX sub-menu, then click on PICK TOOL... find the 'TREAT ALL OBJECTS AS FILLED' entry, and make sure the box is NOT checked! This makes the mouse ignore the box unless you click the EDGE of the box...

For what it's worth, the day I bought my first laser I had this same exact problem with getting the machine to engrave where I wanted it to engrave, and this is the solution I found and I've been doing it this way ever since. Might not be the 'correct' way but it works :)

Hopefully this helps...

[Ricard Rinaldo]

I own a older USL (2007) and know little about your machine. How old is it and is the software and drivers intended for a XP system? ULS updates the drivers for the older machines, not sure if Epilog does? It might take a call to Support Monday.

The engraver is from 2004.
The included software is for XP yes.
I was in contact with epilog but they didn´t make a huge effort to help me I am afraid. :(

@Kev Williams
With center engrave I mean engraving with red dot (origin) in center and not top left.
I have tried everything and it is totally ignoring my offset no matter what I do.
Also just realized I am running win10, maybe that is even worse.
I am a mac user normally so I did not see the difference, lol.

[Bill George]

What he is saying is that if you put your part in the middle of the table which I hope you configured to be the same size as your machine table it should engrave in the middle. On my ULS I need to go into print preview in Corel Draw and tell it to print Top Left, Centered or whatever and it works. Yes, Windows 10 is an issue and I have to believe your trying to use a USB or USB to Parallel cable.

[Ricard Rinaldo]

Yes I do understand that would work but that is not what I want.
This is what I am referring to that is not working
http://support.epiloglaser.com/article/8205/29942/using-the-centercenter-option-in-the-epilog-laser-dashboard

[Tony Lenkic]

Ricard,

Have you red this info on Epilog site?
I hope that process is same for all of their lasers.

https://www.epiloglaser.com/downloads/pdf/fusion_center_engraving.pdf

[vic casware]

Hi Ricard, I agree with Tony about the article explaining the procedure,
I assume you are turning the XY off and manually moving the head
to the position you want the push the SET HOME button?

[Bill George]

Hi Ricard, I agree with Tony about the article explaining the procedure,
I assume you are turning the XY off and manually moving the head
to the position you want the push the SET HOME button?

None of the instructions say anything about moving the head by hand, only with the jog arrows or control Joy stick.

[Kev Williams]

That center-dot thing, sounds like the 'point n shoot' on my IS400, but never had that luxury on a laser. Wondering if being that old of a machine it simply may be compatible? I have plenty of software 'options' that I can't actually use...

Just do it manually-- put the dot where you want it, jot down the X and Y coordinates on a piece of paper, put guidelines at those coordinates, center your work on the guidelines, run with it... Been doing it that way ever since I got my first EP module in 1995!

[Gene Jameson]

Make sure your page size of your Corel file and the size in you epilog settings are the same, manually move the head to the correct position then press "set home". I used windows7 a long time and can't remember any major problems. Are you using a usb printer cable or ethernet crossover cable. I have had problems when using usb, but that was with the computer not even recognizing the laser. Never with the laser performance once the job was in the laser.

Oh yea, also make sure you are selecting "center-center" in the epilog settings.

[Bruce Clumpner]

If you use Center/Center. the system will error out if the artwork goes outside the bed area, so reset to the center of your piece by unlocking and moving the head and aligning with the red dot. When using the center/center option it centers on the artwork, not the page size so make sure to properly position it on your piece.

Once centered, then go to print preview, then settings, and under preferences to select center center as the option to print.

[Ricard Rinaldo]

Yes I am aware of how it is suppose to work but it just doesnt.
It simply will not center engrave, always top left of the job file.
Anyone has another driver for the mini on a 64bit system than the one on epilog webpage.
My laser displays a fusion machine I think (in the connected units page in win10) but shouldnt there be a mini if that is what I use?
Color mode works but the autofocus option is often marked in jobcontrol even though I send the file without autofocus from Illustrator.
I tried a crossover cable, it recognizes the laser but I cannot print.
I also tried upgrading the fw but I get a receive error on the laser. :(

[Bill George]

I guess my suggestion is same as others, get the operations or owners manual for your machine and give it a good reading.

[Gene Jameson]

The 64bit driver for the mini is 9.03 downloadable from the epilog site. I am not sure what the dll you listed is. I would suggest trying to reinstall the driver. If that doesn't work their tech support people are pretty good at helping you sort this type of problem. They can transfer that machine's records to your name as the new owner. Probably worth doing. I had some communications problems with my comptuer and mini and they walked me through the solution. I will say some are nicer than others when helping though.

[Ricard Rinaldo]

:(
It installs as Legend 48 x 48 in and that is not what I have.
Any idea why it chooses this and not the Mini 18x12?

[Uma Duffy]

Hi Richard, if you are not physically moving the carriage to where you want home to be your doing it wrong using the control board 1- xy off. 2- push Go. 3- move red dot(carriage) where you want it. 4. press set home... to undo turn machine off and on it will reset to upper left. if this does not work than yes its michanical 0r data problem

[Bill George]

:(
It installs as Legend 48 x 48 in and that is not what I have.
Any idea why it chooses this and not the Mini 18x12?

You might have the wrong driver and you seem to be ignoring advice?